Rosko's First Night Home

We picked up Rosko and brought him home yesterday! Even though it was just a couple hours after his surgery, he was up and around and moving just fine. He did very well on the car ride home. I don't think he's ever ridden in a car before though, (except when he was picked up as a stray and brought to the shelter), so he wasn't really sure what to do. We didn't want him to have to ride in the bed of the pickup for the hour and a half drive back home from Bonita, but we couldn't coax him into the backseat and there wasn't a good way to lift him back there, so we ended up letting him sit in the front and I sat in the back. Believe me-- that is the first and LAST time that will happen. He didn't much care for the stop and go of traffic, but he loved the wind blowing in from the window.

He spent a couple quiet hours in the storage room while we went to dinner . This is where he is going to spend the days while we're at work until he is settled and trained enough for us to open up the doggie door and give him access to the backyard. After we got home we took him around the house and the yard on the leash and worked on getting him used to walking a little behind us instead of infront of us (important for dominance). He learned very quickly not to bolt out of doors and to wait for Scott and I to walk through first. Scott's dad and Sarah and Eddie were all in the backyard playing darts and it took a few minutes to get comfortable being around so many people, but once he did we let him off the leash and let him run and sniff around.

He was a perfect angel after that. He follows us around submissively, seeks attention but doesn't demand it. He really liked it when I threw and bounced his rubber ball-- he'd take off after it and attack it until it stopped moving, then he'd lose interest in it completely until I threw it again. He didn't give me any problems at all when I took it away from him: even right out of his mouth (also a very good thing for dominance).

He sat in the living room with us and was nice and quiet watching tv. He didn't try to jump up on the furniture at all. I had to take him outside four or five times because he kept sniffing and wanting to mark his territory in the kitchen. Once he had calmed down a lot, I pulled out some training treats and within about ten-fifteen minutes got him to learn "Sit".

Bedtime was pretty interesting. Several sources I've read suggests you give the dog his own bed in your bedroom because they want to sleep with their "pack". We were originally planning on crate training him at night, but the crate we bought for $20 off Craigslist is really too small for him. So, I set up his doggie bed a few feet away from the bed and crossed my fingers he didn't have any accidents during the night. It took him a couple hours after we went to bed to really get settled in. We could hear him going around and sniffing through the room, and scratching, and licking himself (he sounds a lot like a pig and he is definitely not quiet about it). He didn't try to get into bed with us at all and eventually he figured out that the doggie bed was for him.

I think tonight we'll just have to exhuast him a little bit more so he settles down a lot quicker. We've gotten off on the right foot, set some good ground rules, he's picked up on them, and he's started bonding with both of us. I am totally thrilled with how much progress he's made in just one night!

Our New Addition

Well, it's something we've been talking about for at least two years and the time has finally come. We're getting a dog!

Rosko the "Pixer"

Rosko is a male boxer/pit bull mix we found at the San Diego County Animal Countrol shelter waaaay down in Bonita. He came in as a stray and has been there since August, so we don't really know anything about his background except he is about 6 months old, possibly a little older. Right now he weighs almost 42 pounds and comes up to a little above the knees. He may get a couple inches taller, and will definitely be filling out. (My guess is to about 60 pounds). 

He was very well behaved at the shelter, even with all the stress and distractions going on. He didn't try to jump up on us at all, no signs of aggression, nervousness, nipping, or chewing. He wasn't overly eager for attention nor did he ignore us completely. He really liked running and chasing us around the pen, and even then he was a perfect little gentleman. And he looked very healthy: clear eyes, good teeth, healthy fur, no signs of having been in fights, no limping, etc. 

We have to drive back down to Bonita Wednesday afternoon to pick him up. Unfortunately they couldn't get him in for neutering sooner than that and they wouldn't let us take him before the procedure was done. 

We assume he is not housebroken and hasn't had any kind of training yet, so we'll be working on that and signing up for obedience classes within the next couple weeks. Scott is working on clearing out some space in the "storage" room behind the garage for him right now. We'll keep him there during the day for the first month or so until he's adjusted, then we'll give him free range between there and the backyard while we're at work.